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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Forgery, identity theft charges brought against suspect who allegedly fought with police Ashland police hope to crack down on rowdies Gold Hill approves legal expenditure "to protect" city manager Ashland boy dies after long battle with cancer Peavine Creek Fire fully lined Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Forgery, identity theft charges brought against suspect who allegedly fought with police Ashland police hope to crack down on rowdies Peavine Creek Fire fully lined Emergency services Appeals court rules against Central Point schools on bus outsourcing Politics and Elections Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Education Appeals court rules against Central Point schools on bus outsourcing Hedrick principal to take helm at North Medford High School More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Levy backers eye final push Environment State waives college placement tests for students who hit high marks Stopping fire in its tracks Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation State News Obama's Nike stop puts focus on outsourcing, labor standards Portland mayor cuts support to propane terminal proposal Eugene security workers ticketed for frisking without certification Oregon may end self-serve gas ban — but only in rural areas Obama's trade trip to Oregon highlights D.C. divisions Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Helen Nadine Sankey Dickie Miles Hayes Nita Day Layne Alan Battenfield Gene Fredric Wolf Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Many happy returns for Singler Pirates strong at North Valley meet Rockets survive Clippers, even series Singler open to remaining in OKC SOU ready to defend home track Varsity 541 College Sports SOU ready to defend home track Beavers score early, roll over Ducks, 10-2 Craig, Randall earn conference honors Spring has sprung, but work isn't done Raiders' Abbott breaks 22-year-old record Pro Sports Many happy returns for Singler Rockets survive Clippers, even series Singler open to remaining in OKC Harper's three homers, five RBIs lift Nationals Probe: Pats personnel probably deflated balls Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Rogue Valley Mall filling out with new stores, expansions and moves Haggen prepares to replace Safeway in Ashland on Sunday Single-family home sales take off Blog: Feeling like a few days in Italy? Medford/Jackson County Chamber has trip planned just for you Cars We Remember: Car enthusiast wishes new model designs were ‘more different’ Real Estate News Single-family home sales take off Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Dianne Williamson: Let’s end the marathon bomber saga Our View: Cheers and jeers Letters to the Editor, May 7 George Will: A patrician blacksmith for president? Dana Milbank: Huckabee's ill-fated quest Editorials Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Set firm deadlines on blighted houses Our View: Oregon's full of givers, and can use more Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 7 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Letters to the Editor, May 5 Letters to the Editor, May 4 Letters to the Editor, May 3 Columns George Will: A patrician blacksmith for president? Dana Milbank: Huckabee's ill-fated quest Kathleen Parker: Matters of perception Michael Gerson: The intricate knot of urban poverty Kathleen Parker: Wife of the party Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Lifestyle Latest stories Celebrating our feathered friends Blog: Sorcerer-historians and hunted boats Antionette Kerr: Mother’s Day founder challenged commercialism Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Religion News: Vatican newspaper denounces Muhammad cartoons Food Community blog: Teatime is anytime when recipes brew new dishes Eat your greens (tea, that is) Season Stepp: Make some cheesecake mousse-filled strawberries Page H. Onorato: Baked potato soup is comfort in a bowl Page H. Onorato: Grandma Jane comes a-calling Home and Garden Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Dear Monty: Water rights of property owners Paul Rogers: ‘Living’ mulches a healthy alternative to bark Heirloom tomatoes bring ageless flavor Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Health New cardiac rehab center opens at Asante RRMC Community blog: You and Me at 83... Search on for new medical provider for Butte Falls, Prospect clinics Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Milestones and Achievements Drones helping create unique wedding photos Pick your favorite wedding flowers The ring’s the thing Chic brides are choosing a range of complementary colors for their celebration Registries: ‘Year of the groom’ Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Tina Malia at SOU Music Hall in Ashland Los Lonely Boys and Lucas Nelson at the Rogue Theatre Page Hamilton comes home Theater REVIEW: Randall Theatre's 'Little Shop of Horrors' a rollicking good time REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Music Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Tina Malia at SOU Music Hall in Ashland Earthquake benefit for Nepal Los Lonely Boys and Lucas Nelson at the Rogue Theatre Community Events Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at OSF's Black Swan in Ashland Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Movies George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Victor D. Infante: ‘Avengers’ begs the questions, ‘Why superheroes, and why now?’ Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Dining Trium is a classic example of a boutique winery Restaurant inspections, May 3, 2015 Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Obama's Nike stop puts focus on outsourcing, labor standards ... Portland mayor cuts support to propane terminal proposal ... Eugene security workers ticketed for frisking without certification ... Obama's Nike stop puts focus on outsourcing, labor standards ... Portland mayor cuts support to propane terminal proposal ... Eugene security workers ticketed for frisking without certification ... Victor D. Infante: 'Avengers' begs the questions, 'Why superheroes, and why now?' By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette MailTribune.com By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette Posted May. 4, 2015 @ 2:24 pm By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette Posted May. 4, 2015 @ 2:24 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> The Avengers started a fist fight on my Facebook wall the other day. No, they weren’t punching out bad guys such as Loki, Ultron or the Red Skull, but rather they were the epicenter of a rather heated discussion on superheroes, and why they seem to increasingly dominate our media. The Avengers — who will star in the movie “Avengers: The Age of Ultron,” appearing in theaters now — are the big guns, considering several of the team’s members have had their own films. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Hulk are all pretty big franchises on their own, and that doesn’t even account for the likes of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Agent Carter” and “Daredevil,” or the Marvel-ous “X-Men,” “Spider-Man,” “Fantastic Four” and “Big Hero 6,” who all have movies produced outside Marvel Studios. As to Marvel’s distinguished competition, D.C. Comics is about to make some big noise with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” as well as a TV presence that includes “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Gotham,” “Constantine” and the forthcoming “Supergirl.” That’s a lot of superheroes, all of whom originate from two comic book companies. But the question remains: Why superheroes, and why now? There’s probably no single reason for the phenomenon, so much as a perfect storm of cultural cross currents. Here are a few of the likely reasons: Technology: Let’s start with the basic. When Richard Donner’s “Superman” film came out in 1980, the tag line was “You’ll believe a man can fly.” But those were relatively easy effects. CGI and special effects have finally caught up to the point where multiple superpowers and otherworldly settings can appear on the screen at a relatively affordable cost. Licenses: Disney owns Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios, and Warner Bros. owns D.C. Comics, which saves some money when it comes to licensing characters and stories. Marvel in the ‘80s sold the rights to Spider-Man to Sony Pictures, and to the X-Men and Fantastic Four to 21st Century Fox, which means these studios can use those characters as much as they want in the cinema medium (but not TV). That’s probably not as big a motive as others, but still, if you own a character, why not use it? In any case, Disney has cut a deal with Sony to get back use of Spider-Man, so we’ll get to see the webslinger mix it up with the Avengers soon enough. Nostalgia: Nostalgia — and you may have noticed this — sells big, and the people who were reading Marvel and D.C. Comics in the ‘60s and ‘70s are now adults, with adults’ spending capabilities. Many also have kids, and the superhero films make for a great shared experience between generations. On the other side of the nostalgia equation, though, is the fact that the preeminent artists in the film and TV medium, the ones with the firepower to make big decisions, are also the people who grew up with those comics, and in some cases, they’ve been wanting to tell these stories for most of their lives. On some level, a few of these filmmakers are still kids playing with action figures. Just, you know, really expensive ones. Cultural Unrest: It’s really no coincidence that we saw the most recent rise of the superhero to prominence come in the wake of 9/11 and the Great Recession, conditions that in many ways mirror the era that gave birth to Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman etc: The Great Depression and World War II. But beyond that confluence of forces, things become less clear. Comics have always been a bit of a Rorschach test politically — something many comic creators, including Marvel co-founder Stan Lee, have talked about openly — and it’s easy to take away either a conservative or liberal message from them, depending on your perspective, and that can be either a positive or negative, depending on how you see things. For example, it’s fairly easy to take away a fairly conservative, pro-war or pro-authority message from comics. Let’s face it: Most of the early comics dealt with wealthy tycoons such as Batman beating up on criminals, who were almost always from the poorer classes. Even today, when a story is likely to be more nuanced, police and soldiers are likely to be painted as forces for good, with the exceptions being aberrations for the sake of the plot. On the other hand, the earliest Superman stories featured the Man of Steel battling slumlords who exploited their tenants, and protecting the powerless is still a pretty big part of the idea of what it means to be a superhero. Wish fulfillment: This may be the big one. We live in a world where the United States has been at war in one form or another in the Middle East for over a decade, an economic recovery from the recession has been slower than hoped, politicians seem to be in a constant state of inaction and racial tensions and conflicts over alleged police brutality have come to a full boil It’s the sort of world that makes it easy to imagine a savior from the skies, a superhero that can fight for truth, justice and whatever you consider the American way to be. Indeed, sometimes one even fantasizes about being that person, about being the person who can deliver themselves and their neighbors from harm. Who wouldn’t want to be Batman, right? Cool explosions: Maybe all this woolgathering is just that, and the fact is that “Avengers” and its ilk are just fun movies: Well made, well-acted and a lot of fun. Indeed, if they weren’t fun, nothing else would much matter. And whether that sort of escapism is solely a diversion, or serves a deeper cultural purpose, it’s still pretty fun to see Thor bash his hammer into an army of androids. Sometimes, being an enjoyable two or three hours is its own reward. Email Victor D. Infante at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ocvictor. By Victor D. Infante The Telegram & Gazette MailTribune.com By Victor D. 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